Branding 101: Stand out from the pack (Part 2)

January 10, 2019

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If you joined us for Part 1 of this series, you already know your target audience, and your unique value prop and bio are something to behold.

But before you begin broadcasting your brand far and wide, take a spin through Part 2 of this quick-read series first. From the importance of consistency and nailing it online, to effortlessly placing your shiny brand in front of the right consumers at the right time, we saved the best for last.

First, let’s talk brand consistency—don’t be swayed by the shiny and new.

Sure the tagline in your competitor’s ad is pretty cool, the visuals are especially attractive, and the design is seriously eye-catching. But unless you’re just starting to build your brand, or you’re prepared to do a complete rebrand, don’t be tempted to switch things up.

Consistency, repetition and predictability are keys to achieving brand recognition. And while these may induce a yawn, just remember—consistent presentation of a brand can increase revenue by 23% on average.1

While there are exhaustive brand consistency checklists just a quick Google search away, here are a few aspects of your brand you want to consider when thinking about consistency:

Design: The colors you use, the fonts and overall look should be consistent both online and offline.

Visuals: From your logo to your profile picture to the types of images you use on your website and social media, consistency is key.

Messaging: Your brand promise, tagline and bio should all be widely used and consistent. And make sure your tone of voice—whether conversational or ultra-professional—is consistent across all of your marketing materials.

And consistency across the board is crucial, which includes:

Your website

Blogs

Real estate search portals

Social media

Print materials

Signs

Mass email campaigns

The list goes on…

Next up—a great deal of the first impression is formed online, so own it.

Home buyers are spending, on average, 3 weeks searching online before contacting an agent,2 so you can pretty much bank on potential clients checking you out online first.

And while it’s crucial for your website and social media presence to reflect your brand, don’t stop there.

Nothing validates your brand promise and the story you tell in your bio more than glowing recommendations from your past clients. So when the deal is done, make sure asking for a review is part of your overall process. Granted your clients may be busy getting settled into their new place, but 70% of consumers say they’ll leave a review if they’re asked to.3

Not sure if reviews and recommendations really matter? Once you check out the key stats in this Infographic, your questions will be answered.

And now for the final step—placing your brand in the direct path of serious home shoppers.

(We're happy to report it's a cinch.)

You've invested the time, effort and patience into building your brand. Now let's make sure you get it in front of your target audience.

There are a ton of marketing channels out there—print, digital, social media, event marketing to name a few. So how do you know which channels to choose? Well, it starts with narrowing down where your target audience is, and once you've found them, tracking their engagement and continually optimizing on these channels.

This may sound tricky, but you've already nailed down who your audience is with the simple personas we discussed in Part 1 of this series. And finding out who is engaging the most with different platforms is just a quick Google away. So do your research and then pick the channels that work for your business.

And if you want to effortlessly reach your target audience, we can help.

Place your brand in front of the right consumer at the right time with highly-targeted ads from Local Expert℠—a turnkey digital ad solution from realtor.com®.

The exposure starts on realtor.com® with ads that display to consumers actively looking for homes, and since repetition is key, the ads then appear in the news feed of those same buyers on Facebook. And the best part—it only takes a few clicks to launch professional ads that showcase your expertise and provide maximum listing exposure.

Here's to perfecting your personal brand! To find out more about how Local Expert℠ can help position you as the local authority, visit our website.